Feel the Power of the IDF!

Aleppo, which has been beset by constant violence since 2012, and the site of
unspeakable suffering from air strikes, ground fighting, and even chemical
weapons attacks, has become a humanitarian nightmare.

A
man carries an injured man after what activists said was shelling
from forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in
Aleppo's Al-Mashad neighbourhood March 20,
2015.A shortage of well-supplied hospitals has resulted in
countless deaths that might have been prevented had the mortally
wounded been able to seek medical treatment — a shortage of
doctors, many of whom have either been killed or fled Aleppo
since the fighting erupted, has made the situation even more
dire.

"We are 15 of the last doctors serving the remaining
300,000 citizens of eastern Aleppo," a group of doctors claiming
to be among the last in the city wrote in a letter to US
president Barack Obama on Thursday.

"Whether we live or die seems to be dependent on the ebbs and
flows of the battlefield," they added. "Despite the horror, we
choose to be here. We took a pledge to help those in need."

Allegations of war crimes by pro-government forces
have been flying around for over a year, but the situation on the
ground precludes a thorough investigation of human rights
violations. The situation has rapidly deteriorated over the past
month, as a government-imposed siege prevented food and medical
supplies from entering the rebel-held east.

"We do not need tears or sympathy or even prayers," the letter
read. "We need action."

The nearly monthlong government siege of Syria's largest city is
now on the verge of collapse, after a week of heavy fighting in
northern and eastern Aleppo led to the defeat of pro-regime
forces by a coalition of Syrian opposition groups.

The siege has not been completely broken, and the situation
remains unstable, said Syrian journalist
Hadi Alabdallah, who was in Aleppo while the battle unfolded.
Fights are still erupting sporadically across the city, he said,
and airstrikes continue to puncture any aura of calm.
Both the regime of Syrian president Bashar Assad — and
its close ally, Russia — have offered to impose a temporary
ceasefire on the city long enough to evacuate civilians. But the
doctors, in their letter, characterized the proposals
as "thinly-veiled threats" to essentially "flee now or
face annihilation."

The note contains horrific details about doctors with limited
resources who must regularly decide who is worth saving, based on
the extent of their injuries.

Its harshest rebukes, however, are pointed towards the Obama
administration's perceived inaction in attempting to end the
violence.
"We have seen no effort on behalf of the United States to
lift the siege or even use its influence to push the parties to
protect civilians," the letter read.

A
civil defence member carries a child that survived from under the
rubble at a site hit by airstrikes in the rebel held area of Old
Aleppo, Syria, April 28, 2016"The burden of responsibility for the crimes of the Syrian
government and its Russian ally must...be shared by those,
including the United States, who allow them to continue."

The White House told CNN that they had seen the letter, and
condemned the "indiscriminate bombing of medical facilities by
the Assad regime in Aleppo and elsewhere in Syria." The statement
made no mention of Russia, whom they hope to pressure, along with the UN,
into allowing humanitarian aid to flow into Aleppo.

"These attacks are appalling and must cease," the White House
official said. "We commend the bravery of medical professionals
across Syria who are working every day in perilous circumstances
with minimal supplies to save lives."